How Do You Differentiate Good Acting From Bad Acting?

Slate ^ | 2014 | Marcus Geduld

[grey_whiskers]

Agreed.

[AF_Blue]

It's not a Western, but I enjoyed his performance in "Secondhand Lions," with Robert Duvall and Haley Joel Osment.

[rightwingcrazy]

The very best actors look like they’re just being themselves, but they’re not. I can count on one hand screen actors like that.

[Varsity Flight]

By their fruits:

* Elmer Gantry, too late

* Sampson, too late

* Super Bowl halftime, too late

* Jimmy Swagart, too late

* Obama, hand in pocket

* Theft,: Clinton, Bush I, II, Biden,Tip O’Neil, Pelosi

Good “Acting”

* Twelve O’Clock High

* Midway, (Heston)

* Ben Hur

* Best Years of Our Lives

* All Quiet on the Western Front

[Georgia Girl 2]

Yes Christian Bale is fantastic. He was so good in Hostiles.

Shia LeBouef is also a very good actor.

[plain talk]

I like Keanu’s movies. I don’t think of him as much of an actor but he gets it done and I enjoy the result. Sort of a minimalist actor perhaps?

An example of bad acting to me is Robert de Niro in Quentin’s movie Jackie Brown. I’m sure much of it can be blamed on the poor writing. I love almost all Quentin’s movie except that one.

[Varsity Flight]

And the easiest way: Zero, no swearing:

* E.g. the difference between original Star Trek, and the motion pictures.

[nopardons]

Thanks for your kind words; much appreciated!

Yes, everyone in "I Claudius" was AMAZING and that was back when the the actors and actresses, in the UK, didn't mumble and could act....unlike many of the current crop.

[Clutch Martin]

“How Do You Differentiate Good Acting From Bad Acting?”

With my remote...

[nopardons]

A LOT of well known actors and actresses did one or two episodes of that show, which was always fun to see.

[erlayman]

Edward Norton in pretty much everything except A Compete Unknown.

[nopardons]

Marlon Brando? REALLY?

He was THE least believable Fletcher Christian and Mark Anthony EVER to say those lines!

Was he good as other characters? Yes, but had a really limited range.

[Dr. Sivana]

I had heard that he had issues as Mark Antony, but I do consider Stanley Kowalski to be very different from Vito Corleone. I didn’t see him as Fletcher Christian. Now that you mention it, he was badly miscast in “Guys and Dolls” as well.

[Rummyfan]

When I watch Daniel Day Lewis I am entranced - he is the character he is playing. Meryl Streep to a certain degree too.

Many actors are dismissed as ‘always playing the same’ or ‘playing themselves’ …. Kevin Costner. John Wayne in his later days. Pacino and DeNiro of the last decades. That’ not easy either.

On the other hand, when you see a bad actor you know it.

[Rummyfan]

Gary Oldman - he’s able to assume almost any shape form or persona. He was great as Churchill; great in The Fifth Element, and the two roles could not be more different.

[Rummyfan]

It’s a cruel business - who knows there may be some Olivier or Sarah Barnhart playing summer stock who will never be discovered.

[Rummyfan]

And I don’t know what it is, but I can’t stand Dustin Hoffman any more…. Old movie new movie doesn’t matter.

[Rummyfan]

Last night TCM ran All That Jazz. My Gawd was there ever a woman more beautiful than Jessica Lange or a better dancer than Ann Reinking?!

[Rummyfan]

Um…. That was Harry Carey Jr but yes that is one of the most effecting scenes ever filmed. ‘Don’t ever ask me about it….’

[Rummyfan]

Albert Finney was the all-time best Hercule Poirot. Loved him in Erin Brockovich and Wolfen too. He was David Lean’s first choice for T E Lawrnce but Finney didn’t want to dedicate over a year to the picture. Hence Peter O’Toole. And I had the pleasure of seeing O’Toole live on the London stage way back in the day.